The interaction of ethylene adsorbed on Ni(111) with gas-phase H atoms has been investigated. The major adsorbed reaction product is identified by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy to be ethylidyne (C−CH₃). This study is the first direct spectroscopic observation of a C−CH₃ species adsorbed on Ni in an ultrahigh-vacuum environment. Spectra of four isotopomers, C−CH₃, ¹³C−¹³CH₃, C−CD₃, and ¹³C−¹³CD₃, are reported, and a complete and consistent vibrational assignment of their fundamental modes is presented. Based on this assignment, a force field is derived from the measured vibrational frequencies using a normal-modes analysis and is found to be in good agreement with that deduced from IR spectra of an ethylidyne species in an organometallic complex. Inspection of the eigenvectors of the normal-mode displacements reveals that substantial mixing of harmonic bond motions is the origin of the unusual upshift in frequency of the C−C stretching mode upon deuteration. A quantitative determination of the relative dynamic bond dipole moments demonstrates that the changes in intensity and dipole activity of the C−C stretching and symmetric CH₃ deformation modes upon deuteration, phenomena common to all C−CD₃ spectra, also arise from extensive mixing of bond motions. A detailed analysis of the spectra strongly suggests a C_3v or C₃ local environment for ethylidyne and a 3-fold hollow adsorption site.

We report that both surface-bound H atoms and bulk H atoms, upon moving out from the bulk of a Ni single crystal to its surface of a (111) orientation, are reactive with adsorbed C₂H₂, but the two kinds of H atoms have unique product distributions. Both bulk H and surface-bound H react with C₂H₂ to produce adsorbed ethylidyne, CCH₃, while only bulk H hydrogenates C₂H₂ to gas-phase ethylene and ethane, the products of interest in acetylene hydrogenation catalysis for the purification of ethylene streams. Their distinct reactivities arise from both their different directions of approach to the π orbitals of the unsaturated hydrocarbon and their substantially different energetics. These observations demonstrate that H embedded in the metal catalyst is a reactant in alkyne hydrogenation and is not solely a source of surface-bound H which then reacts with acetylene, as proposed from correlations between the hydrogenation activity of Raney Ni and Pd catalysts and the amount of H absorbed in these catalysts. The reactivities of these two kinds of H atoms are clearly distinguished in this experiment because of the capability to synthesize either bulk H or surface-bound H cleanly in an ultrahigh vacuum environment.

The conformation of cinchonidine in solution has been investigated by NMR techniques as well as theoretically. Three conformers of cinchonidine are shown to be substantially populated at room temperature, Closed(1), Closed(2), and Open(3), with the latter being the most stable in apolar solvents. The stability of the closed conformers relative to that of Open(3), however, increases with solvent polarity. In polar solvents the three conformers have similar energy. The relationship between relative energies and the dielectric constant of the solvent is not linear but resembles the form of an Onsager function. Ab initio and density functional reaction field calculations using cavity shapes determined by an isodensity surface are in good agreement with experiment for solvents which do not show strong specific interaction with cinchonidine. The role of the conformational behavior of cinchonidine is illustrated using the example of the platinum-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of ketopantolactone in different solvents.

The 4d10→4d95s1 transitions of the Ag+ ion in single crystals of NaF were investigated by one- and two-photon spectroscopy and luminescence experiments. The one-photon absorption spectrum extends from 238 to below 180 nm. At low temperature, several bands show resolved fine structure, but compared to NaF:Cu+, there is much less, and the lines are broader. The Jahn–Teller effect is much larger in Ag+ than in Cu+ and has been identified in three of the excited states. Trapping in Jahn–Teller minima is shown to change the emission kinetics radically compared to Cu+. The off-center force from the d9p states has much less effect on Ag+ than on Cu+. All of the evidence shows that Ag+ is more strongly coupled to the lattice than is Cu+.

Multicomponent thin films with spectral hole burning capacity at room temperature were synthesized by using molecular beam and pulsed laser deposition techniques All materials were activated by Sm²⁺ in low-symmetry alkaline earth sites, the synthesis involved the control of ionic diffiision rate during multilayer growth and special reduction of Samarium. Enhancement of hole burning rate by 1-2 orders is obtained in nanocrystalline films as compared to bulk and microcrystalline materials New hypothetic mechanism involving the creation of Sm-defect (photochromic) centers is proposed for reversible photoburning.

The isomerization reaction of cubic N8 to the planar bicyclic structure analogous to pentalene has been investigated using multiconfigurational self-consistent field and second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2). Comparative calculations using density functional theory have also been performed. Five local minima on the energy surface have been found, and the transition states between each two consecutive minima have been determined. The results show that all steps in the isomerization process, except one, can proceed via a set of transition states with moderately high energy barriers (10–20kcal/mol).

The HF/3s2pld and MP2/3s2pld structures, energies and vibrational frequencies were calculated for ten N8 isomers, corresponding to ten analogous CH structures. Comparative calculations using density functional theory (DFT), with a cc-pVTZ basis set, were also performed. All ten structures were found to be local minima on the energy hypersurface at the Hartree-Fock (HF) level, whereas at the second-order Möller-Plesset (MP2) level nine structures were stable. At the DFT level, eight local minima were found. The total energies were recomputed using 4s3p2dlf basis sets at the HF and MP2 levels of theory.

An implementation of the Douglas–Kroll (DK) transformation is described within a new relativistic quantum chemistry code, MAGIC, which performs calculations on systems containing heavy atoms. This method reduces the computational cost in terms of memory requirements that are associated with completeness identities in the DK implementation by factorizing the one-electron matrices into smaller ones that depend only on two atoms at a time. Examples are presented.

A study on the UF6 monomer and dimer was carried out within the density functional method. The U−F distance in the UF6 monomer was optimized at different levels of theory, pointwise, assuming octahedral geometry, (1) by using an all-electron basis for both U and F in a nonrelativistic calculation; (2) by using a relativistic effective core potential (RECP) on U and nonrelativistic effective core potential (ECP) on the fluorines; and (3) by using RECP on the U atom and an all-electron basis on the F atoms. Atomization energies of 23.11, 33.92, and 35.66 eV were obtained at the three levels, respectively. Relativistic effects lead to about a 50% increase in the atomization energy. For the UF6 dimer, the potential energy curve, as a function of the intermolecular U−U distance, was computed at level 2, and the rotational barrier between the two monomers was determined. Similar calculations were performed on the corresponding PuF6 species. Comparisons are made with experiment and other theoretical studies, where available.

An efficient approach for evaluating effective core potential integrals which involve projection operators has been implemented in the MAGIC quantum chemistry program. The methodology is presented and its performance is examined through illustrative calculations on transition metal and actinide compounds.

Remote site deprotonation of a coordinated imidazole ligand switches the reduction potential of coordinated iron over a narrow pH range from +0.920 to –0.460 V.

We present a local density functional study of Cd4S and Cd4S4 clusters inside sodalite cages of different compositions (Al:Si ratios). The composition of the framework determines the cluster → cage charge transfer and strongly affects the atomic structure of the inclusion. The energy gap and the character of the highest occupied (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied (LUMO) electronic states depend on the size and stoichiometry of the included clusters, as well as on the overall stoichiometry of the composite. The calculated gap for Cd4S inclusions in aluminosilicate and aluminate sodalite (at half and full packing respectively) is 2.5 eV (i.e., about twice the calculated gap of bulk CdS), while for Cd4S4 in aluminosilicate and pure silica sodalite (at half packing) it is 1.7-1.9 eV (i.e., about 1.5 times the gap of bulk CdS). Our results indicate that simple confinement arguments are usually insufficient to predict the behavior of semiconductor−zeolite composites.

The mechanism of the electrophilic substitution reaction of ferrocene has been investigated using density functional theory. In particular, reactions with two hard electrophiles (protonation and acetylation) and one soft electrophile (mercuration) have been studied at the LDA and B-PW91 levels of theory using a triple-ζ STO basis set. A general description of the reactions has been obtained, leading to results in agreement with experiment. Acetylation is found to occur via exo attack, whereas mercuration follows an endo mechanism. In the case of protonation, evidence for a rapid equilibrium between metal-protonated and agostic ring-protonated ferrocene is obtained, and no clear conclusion concerning the exo or endo mechanism can be deduced. The calculated proton affinities corresponding to both metal-protonated and agostic ring-protonated structures are in excellent agreement with experiment.

A series of compounds containing the [Mo3-μ3S-(μS2)3-(dtc)3]+ complex (dtc = diethyldithiocarbamate) with the anions I- (1), I- and Br- (2), S2- (3), ClO4- (4), NO3- (5), and SO42- (6) was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, and FAB mass spectrometry. The previously reported crystal structure of 1 was reinvestigated. The X-ray analysis revealed the incorporation of CH2Cl2 in the crystal having the composition [Mo3S7(dtc)3]I·0.5CH2Cl2 (1a), which was in contradiction to the previous protocol. The corresponding ClO4- compound (4a) is isotypic. Crystal data: C15.5H31Cl2Mo3N3O4S13, orthorhombic space group Aba2, a = 25.816(5) Å, b = 17.761(4) Å, c = 16.250(3) Å, Z = 8. For 1a, 4a, 6, and the previously analyzed 2 and 3 the crystal structures revealed characteristic interactions between the anions X and the three axial (out-of-plane) sulfur atoms Sax of the disulfido bridges. The Raman data showed a significant decrease of the Seq−Sax stretch resonance frequency in the order 4, 5, 6 > 1 > 3. This decrease is paralleled with a slight increase of the Seq−Sax bond length and with a significant shortening of the X···Sax distances when compared to the sum of the corresponding van der Waals radii. A comprehensive quantum chemical study, using both density functional theory and semiempirical calculations, revealed that for hard counterions such as NO3- and ClO4- the Sax···X interactions can be understood in terms of an almost entirely electrostatic interaction, whereas for soft nucleophiles such as I- and S2- significant covalency is observed. In addition, the general reaction of [Mo3S7]4+ complexes with a nucleophile was modeled. With regard to the side-on bonding of the μ-S2 groups to Mo, the calculations indicated a significantly higher bond energy for the axial (out-of-plane) sulfur atoms, explaining the much higher lability of the sulfur atoms in the equatorial (in-plane) position. Analogous differences for the ligating atoms of the peripheral ligands, having a cis and trans position with respect to μ3-S, are less pronounced.

The Section for Chemical Research (SCR) of the NSCS intends to provide a forum for chemists active in research, so as to promote exchange of ideas and collaboration. The SCR organizes or supports symposia, seminars, and scientific meetings, with a special emphasis on the Fall Meeting of the NSCS, which is de facto the largest annual forum of Swiss chemistry. Particular attention is paid by the SCR to the promotion of research results obtained by young chemists so as to help them starting their career. At present, the SCR membership stands at 465 members.

In a previous work we have presented a numerical procedure for the calculation of the internal chemical hardness tensor at the molecular orbital resolution level from standard density functional calculations. In this article we describe an improvement of our method using the thermal extensions of density functional theory. Furthermore, new concepts are introduced in the orbitally resolved theory of chemical reactivity. Traditional molecular orbital theories of chemical reactivity are based only on considerations concerning the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of molecules, supposed to describe the behavior towards electrophiles, respectively, nucleophiles. By applying our methodology to two test molecular systems, namely water and ferrocene, we show how chemical reactivity can be differentiated against hard and soft electrophiles (acids) and hard and soft nucleophiles (bases). As a by-product of the numerical algorithms being used, a self-consistent method for calculating the molecular chemical potential is also described.

Experiments in which the Raman linewidth was measured as a function of temperature (7-1183 K) and pressure (0-400 bar) were performed on the (111) and (100) planes of single crystals of the cubic anti-fluorite Li₂S. The temperature dependence of the lattice constant was determined by x-ray diffraction (11-295 K). From these results and published Brillouin scattering data for this host, the volume thermal expansion coefficient as a function of temperature was obtained as well as the isothermal compressibility and the isothermal Raman mode Grüneisen parameter. Using the thermodynamic approach within the quasi-harmonic approximation, we show that below 400 K the volume effects describe well the temperature dependence of the Raman linewidth whereas above this temperature there are direct anharmonic effects appearing. Above approximately 850 K new Raman lines appear that are A_⊥ and E polarized.

A new synthetic strategy has been developed to introduce bent and rigid tridentate 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2‘-yl)pyridine cores into rodlike ligands L11-17. The crystal structure of the nonmesogenic ligand L13 (C39H37N5O4, triclinic, P, Z = 2) shows the expected trans−trans conformation of the tridentate binding unit, which provides a linear arrangement of the semirigid aromatic sidearms. The crystal structure of the related mesogenic ligand L16 (C61H81N5O4, triclinic, P, Z = 2) demonstrates the fully extended conformation adopted by the lipophilic side chains, leading to a slightly helically twisted I-shaped molecule. A rich and varied mesomorphism results which can be combined with the simultaneous tuning of electronic and photophysical properties via a judicious choice of the spacers between the rigid central core and the semirigid lipophilic sidearms. Ligands L13,14 react with Ln(NO3)3·xH2O to give quantitatively and selectively the neutral 1:1 complexes [Ln(Li)(NO3)3] (Ln = La to Lu), which are stable in the solid state at room temperature but partially dissociate in acetonitrile to give the cationic species [Ln(Li)(NO3)2]+. The crystal structure of [Lu(L13)(NO3)3]·3CH3CN (30, LuC45H46N11O13, monoclinic, C2/c, Z = 8) reveals a U-shaped arrangement of the ligand strand arising from the cis−cis conformation of the coordinated tridentate binding unit. This drastic geometric change strongly affects the thermal behavior and the photophysical and electronic properties of the lipophilic complexes [Ln(L14)(NO3)3]. Particular attention has been focused on structure−properties relationships, which can be modulated by the size of the lanthanide metal ions.

Theoretical studies on structure and stretching frequency of the CO molecule physisorbed on the MgO(100) or ZnO(1010) surfaces are reported. The properties of the adsorbed molecule were investigated by means of the recently developed formalism of Kohn-Sham equations with constrained electron density (KSCED). The KSCED method makes it possible to divide a large system into two subsystems and to study one of them using Kohn-Sham-like equations with an effective potential which takes into account the interactions between subsystems. This method (KSCED) was shown to be adequate to study the properties of the CO molecule adsorbed on the MgO(100) surface as reported in a previous paper (Wesolowski et. al.: J. Mol. Struct., THEOCHEM, in press). The effect of the interactions with the surface on the CO stretching frequency and geometry was analyzed for vertically bound (C-down) CO at the Zn-site of the ZnO(1010) surface. The ZnO(1010) surface was represented using several cluster models: Zn²⁺, (ZnO₃)^4-, or Zn₉O₉ embedded in a matrix of point charges. The KSCED frequency shift of the CO stretching vibration is blue-shifted and in good agreement with experiment.

The migrative insertion of CO into the Ni–CH=CH2 bond has been investigated by both static and dynamic density functional methods. The stationary points of the potential surface for the migrative insertion of CO into the Ni–CH=CH2 bond have been characterized using Cl(CO)2Ni–CH=CH2 as a model compound. Such a reaction has been found exothermic by 16 kJ mol−1, with an energy barrier of 9 kJ mol−1. Dynamic simulations have also been performed on Cl(CO)2Ni–CH=CH2 and show that the migrative insertion begins from the cis isomer and occurs via a simultaneous detachment of the vinyl group from the metal and formation of the vinyl–carbonyl bond.

The ground- and excited-state properties of both gas phase and crystalline ruthenocene, Ru(cp)₂, are investigated using density functional theory. A symmetry-based technique is employed to calculate the energies of the multiplet splittings of the singly excited triplet states. For the crystalline system, a Buckingham potential is introduced to describe the intermolecular interactions between a given Ru(cp)₂ molecule and its first shell of neighbors. The overall agreement between experimental and calculated ground- and excited-state properties is very good as far as absolute transition energies, the Stokes shift and the geometry of the excited states are concerned. An additional energy lowering in the ³B₂ component of the 5a1′→4e1″ excited state is obtained when the pseudolinear geometry of Ru(cp)₂ is relaxed along the low-frequency bending vibration.

The condensed Fukui functions fk of maleimide (1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione) have been calculated using a numerical integration scheme implemented in the deMon program package. The condensed functions show that soft nucleophiles interact with the α carbon atoms, whereas hard nucleophiles interact with the carbonyl carbon atoms, in accordance with the experimental evidence. The present method yields extremely few dispersed values of fk, whatever the basis sets, the numerical grids, and the exchange-correlation functionals used. Finally, the validity of the method has been successfully tested on a set of organic and organometallic molecules.

n view of further application to the study of molecular and atomic sticking on dust particles, we investigated the capability of the “freeze-and-thaw” cycle of the Kohn–Sham equations with constrained electron density (KSCED) to describe potential energy surfaces of weak van der Waals complexes. We report the results obtained for C₆H₆⋯X(X=O₂, N₂, and CO) as test cases. In the KSCED formalism, the exchange-correlation functional is defined as in the Kohn–Sham approach whereas the kinetic energy of the molecular complex is expressed differently, using both the analytic expressions for the kinetic energy of individual fragments and the explicit functional of electron density to approximate nonadditive contributions. As the analytical form of the kinetic energy functional is not known, the approach relies on approximations. Therefore, the applied implementation of KSCED requires the use of an approximate kinetic energy functional in addition to the approximate exchange-correlation functional in calculations following the Kohn–Sham formalism. Several approximate kinetic energy functionals derived using a general form by Lee, Lee, and Parr [Lee et al., Phys. Rev. A. 44, 768 (1991)] were considered. The functionals of this type are related to the approximate exchange energy functionals and it is possible to derive a kinetic energy functional from an exchange energy functional without the use of any additional parameters. The KSCED interaction energies obtained using the PW91 [Perdew and Wang, in Electronic Structure of Solids ’91, edited by P. Ziesche and H. Eschrig (Academie Verlag, Berlin, 1991), p. 11] exchange-correlation functional and the kinetic energy functional derived from the PW91 exchange functional agree very well with the available experimental results. Other considered functionals lead to worse results. Compared to the supermolecule Kohn–Sham interaction energies, the ones derived from the KSCED calculations depend less on the choice of the approximate functionals used. The presented KSCED results together with the previous Kohn–Sham ones [Wesołowski et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 101, 7818 (1997)] support the use of the PW91 functional for studies of weakly bound systems of our interest.

The coordination properties of ortho- and meta-substituted [(2-diphenylphosphanylethyl)phenyl]methanol 4a and 4b toward ruthenium(II) have been investigated. To ensure coordination of both the arene and the tethered phosphine, the labile ruthenium arene dimer [RuCl₂(EtO₂CC₆H₅)]₂ (7) was synthesized and structurally characterized. Both the ortho and meta isomers [Ru(4a)Cl₂] (9a) and [Ru(4b)Cl₂] (9b) were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The lack of reactivity of the benzylic alcohol functionality in complexes 9a and 9b toward various P and C electrophiles is rationalized with extended Hückel calculations.

Temperature-dependent laser flash photolysis experiments on the low-spin iron(II) systems [M_1−xFe_x(bpy)₃](PF₆)₂ (M=Cd, Mn and Zn,x≈0.01, bpy=2,2′-bipyridine) under external pressure are presented. Below 50 K the high-spin→low-spin relaxation is an almost temperature-independent tunnelling process. Above that temperature it tends towards a thermally activated behaviour. A change of the host from cadmium to zinc results in an increase of the low-temperature tunnelling rate constant by two orders of magnitude. An external pressure of 1 kbar accelerates the low-temperature tunnelling process by a factor of 2. [Mn_1−xFe_x(bpy)₃](PF₆)₂ and [Zn_1−xFe_x(bpy)₃](PF₆)₂show a phase transition at ≈1.1 kbar, which increases the tunnelling rate by a factor of about 6.

The thermal spin transition in the diluted mixed crystal [Zn_1−xFe_x(6-mepy)₃tren](PF₆)₂ (x = 0.00025, (6-mepy)₃tren = tris{4-[(6-methyl)-2-pyridyl]-3-aza-3-butenyl}amine) is studied at 1 bar and 1 kbar by temperature-dependent absorption spectroscopy. From thermodynamic analysis of the high-spin (HS) fractions, values for ΔH_HL⁰ and ΔS_HL⁰ of 1551(50) cm⁻¹ and 7.5(5) cm⁻¹/K and a molecular volume of reaction, ΔV_HL⁰, of 22(2) ųresult. Reconsideration of the cooperative effects in the neat [Fe(6-mepy)₃tren](PF₆)₂from Adler et al. [Hyperfine Interact. 47, 343 (1989)] result in a lattice shift, Δ, of 208(15) cm⁻¹ and an interaction constant, Γ, of 109(15) cm⁻¹. Temperature-dependent laser flash photolysis experiments in the spin-crossover system [Zn_1−xFe_x(6-mepy)₃tren](PF₆)₂ and the LS system [Zn_1−xFe_x(py)₃tren](PF₆)₂ in the pressure range between 1 bar and 1 kbar are presented. Above ≈100 K the HS→LS (low-spin) relaxations behave classically, whereas they become almost temperature independent below 50 K. At ambient pressure, the low-temperature tunneling rate constant in[Zn_1−xFe_x(py)₃tren](PF₆)₂ is more than three orders of magnitude larger than the one in[Zn_1−xFe_x(6-mepy)₃tren](PF₆)₂. External pressure of 27 kbar accelerates the low-temperature tunneling process by almost nine orders of magnitude. The kinetic results are discussed within the theory of nonadiabatic multiphonon relaxation.

The spin-crossover compound [Fe(pic)₃]Cl₂EtOH (pic = 2-picolylamine) shows an unusual two-step spin transition. This is thought to be caused by specific nearest-neighbour interactions and short-range correlations and requires a theoretical treatment of the elastic interactions between the spin-changing molecules beyond the mean-field approximation. Such short-range correlations also influence the high-spin → low-spin relaxation following the light-induced population of the high-spin state at cryogenic temperatures, leading to characteristic deviations from the predictions of a mean-field treatment. These deviations are directly observable by comparison of the full and unperturbed relaxation curves with curves for which the short-range correlations were destroyed using an appropriate irradiation technique. Monte Carlo simulations including both nearest-neighbour and long-range interactions give a description of the observed relaxation curves which is consistent with the thermal spin equilibrium.

The enthalpy of formation of the free ions generated by the electron transfer between benzophenone in the lower triplet state and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane in acetonitrile has been measured using transient thermal phase grating. This enthalpy is smaller by more than 0.14±0.08 eV than the enthalpy of formation of the geminate ion pair obtained from a previous ps thermal phase grating investigation. Therefore, the dissociation of a geminate ion pair into free ions in endothermic. However, separation is exergonic if translational entropy in taken into account. A small and positive value of C, the correction term in the Rehm—Weller equation, is obtained if this term is considered as a free energy. The principles of the transient grating technique as a tool for investigating photoinduced processes in solution are briefly reviewed.

The dynamics of the intermediate generated upon diffusional electron transfer (ET) quenching of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene by electron donors of varying oxidation potential in acetonitrile has been investigated using several transient grating techniques. With most of the donor/acceptor pairs studied, the transient grating spectrum cannot be differentiated from those of the free ions. Exciplex fluorescence, with the same lifetime as that of the ion pair, is observed with all donors. To extract from the measured kinetics the rate constant of exciplex dissociation, k^EX_dia , and of back ET, k^EX_BET , within these exciplexes, three different schemes have been considered. The best agreement is obtained by assuming that charge recombination predominantly takes place within the exciplex. The obtained k^EX_BET values are substantially different from the BET rate constants deduced indirectly from the free-ion yields and with a donor-independent rate constant of separation. For each class of donors, k^EX_BET exhibits a logarithmic free energy dependence with a slope of about −2 eV^-1. Moreover, k^EX_dia is not constant but increases continuously with diminishing donor's oxidation potential.

The competition between electron transfer (ET) and triplet energy transfer (TT) in the quenching of benzophenone, xanthone, and anthraquinone in the triplet state by molecules with both a sufficiently small oxidation potential and low triplet state was investigated in the picosecond to microsecond time scales. In the longer time scale, the product distribution depends strongly on the relative exergonicity of ET and TT processes, the yield of the lower energy product being at least four times larger than that of the other product. Picosecond transient grating measurements reveal that if TT is more exergonic than ET, the TT product is predominantly formed by two sequential ET reactions, i.e., by spin-allowed back ET within the triplet geminate ion pair formed upon ET quenching. However, if ET is more exergonic than TT, no conversion from the TT product to the ET product could be detected. In this case, the product distribution in the microsecond time scale seems to reflect the competition between the two processes. When both processes are exergonic, ET appeared to be always faster than TT. This is in agreement with the severe orbital overlap requirement for TT via the Dexter exchange mechanism.

Bicyclonucleosides bearing a 5-deoxy-5-N-hydroxyamino-3,N5-(1,1-ethano)-β-o-furanosyl sugar moiety (15-18) have been prepared by glycosidation of the corresponding bicyclosugars obtained via an intramolecular reverse Cope elimination. The configuration of the asymmetric carbon of the 1,1-ethano bridge is the most important factor directing the conformation of the N-hydroxypyrrolidine ring and its invertomers ratio as shown by variable temperature H NMR experiments.

A new phosphine, the diphenyldibenzobarrelenephosphine 2, was designed to study the barrier to rotation of the P−H group around the C−^•P bond. After homolytic scission of a P−H bond by radiolysis, the EPR spectrum of the resulting phosphinyl radical, trapped in a single crystal of 2, was studied at 77 K and at room temperature. The directions of the ³¹P hyperfine eigenvectors were compared with the bond orientations of the undamaged compound as determined from its crystal structure. The temperature dependence of the EPR spectrum was analyzed by using the density matrix formalism; this showed that interaction between the phosphinyl hydrogen and the phenyl ring bound to the ethylenic bond is determinant for explaining the potential energy profile. DFT investigations are consistent with these experimental results.

Cyclic voltammetry shows that monophosphaallene ArPCC(C6H5)2 (where Ar = C6H2tBu3-2,4,6), 1a, undergoes irreversible reduction at 2266 mV in THF. The EPR spectra of the reduction products are obtained in liquid and frozen solutions after specific 13C enrichment of the allenic carbon atoms. The resulting hyperfine tensors are compared with those obtained from ab initio MP2, MCSCF, CI, and DFT calculations for the radical anion (HPCCH2)-• and for the monophosphaallylic radical (HP•−CHCH2) ↔ (HPCH−•CH2). The most elaborate treatments of the hyperfine structure (CI and DFT) indicate that the species observed by EPR is the monophosphaallylic radical.

Liquid phase EPR spectra of a diphosphaallenic radical anion have been Recorded after electrochemical reduction of a solution of ArPCPAr in THF at 293 K (Ar = 2,4,6-But3C6H2). The hyperfine coupling interactions of two 31P and one 13C nuclei (in the case of Ar13CPAr) are discussed in the light of AM1 calculations carried out on (ArPCPAr)–, of ab initio calculations performed on the model radical anion (HPCPH)– at the MP2 and MCSCF levels of theory and of DFT calculations on (HPCPH)–. The structure of the radical anion is compared with that of the neutral molecule.

ENDOR measurements on the ¹⁹F^- nuclei in the first four shells of KZnF₃ containing Dy³⁺ ions in the cubic site are reported. The values and signs of the hyperfine and transferred hyperfine interaction parameters are determined. The local deformation of the crystal lattice in the vicinity of the impurity ion is estimated. The theoretical analysis of the THFI parameters for the first coordination shell of the F^- ions has been carried out. For the Dy³⁺ ion the influence of spin polarization of the closed 5s and 5p shells is considered for the first time. Spin polarization is shown to play a significant role in the mechanism of rare-earth ion-ligand coupling. 

A recent investigation of the (BaF₂–MgF₂) phase diagram produced several new compounds which are suitable hosts for Rare Earth impurities. We present results on single crystals of Ba₂Mg₃F₁₀ doped with Eu²⁺. The local structure and optical properties of this system were investigated by luminescence emission and by EPR. We observed two different Eu²⁺ sites. Both show C_s point symmetry and an important ground state splitting. Correlating our EPR and optical results with the new Ba₂Mg₃F₁₀ structure data allowed the assignment of each of them to a specific barium lattice site. The luminescence emission of both the 4f⁷–4f⁶5d and the 4f⁷–4f⁷ transitions is observed. The relative importance of the two emissions is strongly temperature dependent. The emission intensities of the intra f-shell ⁶P_7/2→⁸S_7/2transitions increase strongly on going from 295 K to 77 K. Thus, the lowest levels of the 4f⁶5d configuration are approximately degenerate with the ⁶P_7/2 manifold.

Eu²⁺ was introduced into pure and oxygen codoped BaMgF₄ single crystals. A detailed EPR study of this ion (S=7/2) was realized on both types of systems. The result is that only one spectrum was observed involving a strong crystal field. The associated site symmetry of the impurity is C_s. It occupies very closely a Barium lattice site as was established by correlating the EPR results with those of a refined X-ray structure analysis on a Ba_0.8Eu_0.2MgF₄ single crystal realized in our laboratory. The oxygen codoped crystals exhibited this same Eu²⁺EPR spectrum (the only one). Optical emission and excitation experiments were performed between 13 000 and 53 000 cm⁻¹. The results due to the Eu²⁺ impurity are given and discussed qualitatively within the 4f⁷ ↔ 4f⁶5d¹ scheme.